To the Ones Who…

To the ones who’ve lost themselves:

You forgot to build yourself first.

You can’t build a community if you’re still the clay before the brick.

Like lotus flowers, we’re becoming ourselves in the mud, in spite of the mud.

In a sea of people, we will never truly find ourselves unless we first discover who we are and then take the dive.

We don’t have to feel guilty about it either.

How can we support others if we ourselves have no foundation?

People will drift away and they’ll take all that you are with them. Find your identity in others and when they leave, you’ll lose yourself too.

First know yourself, then go get to know others and you’ll appreciate them for who they are rather than who they could be.

Grow.

Then watch the world around you grow too.

To the ones who’ve made mistakes:

You’re feeling the weight of your shortcomings all too heavily, but please don’t let it bring you down. That’s not a weight you have to carry.

You’re not meant to.

Failure is not the final word.

You made a mistake, so learn from it;

Don’t dwell on it.

You are not defined by how you slipped up;

That is not who you are!

You are a child of God and you’re learning.

You’re learning from your experiences and doing better because of them.

You’re changing everyday, growing into the person God has called you to be,

But don’t forget that He delights in who you are now.

He loves you and He wants you just as you are.

You’re bound to change, because knowing God leaves you with no other option,

But remember that here,

in this moment,

there is grace.

So breathe.

And let it set you free.

To the ones who've felt dispensable:

You’re feeling insignificant, but it’s a lie.

Maybe you’re not everyone’s cup of tea,

But you’re not meant to be.

God is using you so don’t be shut up.

You have a purpose and you have a place here. No, you won’t always know what to say, but God uses you anyway.

That’s grace.

And it’s amazing.

You don’t have to feel insignificant, forgotten, or neglected.

You don’t have to be jealous or afraid.

Instead, you can rejoice in knowing that by the power of God, you do make a difference–whether people notice it or not.

Your love is a testimony of God’s own.

Your hope is contagious.

You are God’s instrument shining a light in dark places.

That matters.

That’s significant.

And in that, you can be content, because when others walk away, God has never left,

And He never will.